Carthage Jail October 27th, 2013

Today we served at the Carthage Jail Visitor Center

This is always one of the most spiritual sites in our service in Nauvoo. I, at least always get a little nervous when I see that it is on our assignment list which comes out every Friday for the following week. Giving tours of the jail is like spending the whole day in a very spiritual testimony meeting: it is very "draining".  I often feel like a "wet rag" as we drive back to our apartment in Nauvoo.  

Today was no exception, as we had a fairly busy day.  We would just finish one tour and there was another waiting for us as we entered the visitor center.  There were four of us senior missionaries assigned today.
When a guest arrives we show them around the visitor center and then invite them into the movie which is 18 min. long.  As soon as it is over we then start the tour of the Jail, first taking them into the summer kitchen (shown in the picture above as the yellow part to our left),(which was not there when Joseph was there---it was built on in 1850, but was not removed when the Church restored the jail in the 1960's) and then into the jail itself in the inside kitchen where Joseph and those with him ate meals prepared by jailer George Stigal's wife.  Then we go into the parlor and then into the debtors cell where Joseph spent the night of June 25th with 10 others of his group --all sleeping on the floor as there was no furniture at all in this cell.  While we are here, another tour is coming down the stairs from the martyrdom room.  When they leave, we go upstairs to the criminal cell and explain the aftermath of the martyrdom with Willard Richards hiding John Taylor from the mob, and then go into the martyrdom room, where we get to testify of the life and prophetic calling of Joseph Smith.  It is amazing, that every time, as I entered that room, I felt  like a "warm blanket" had just been placed over my shoulders, and I am enveloped in it until I leave the room. There are very few dry eyes on each tour.  We then take them outside through the front door of the jail, (which the mobs used to enter the jail), passing another tour that had just entered the jail through the kitchen.
We "orchestrate" four overlapping tours in this manner all day.
It takes some coordination...
       Dad left some room for me to say something...It always amazes me that the Lord really does know the beginning to the end....It wasn't by accident that two apostles were with Joseph and Hyrum in Carthage and they survived.  It is in keeping with the law of two witnesses...If they weren't  there we couldn't have had the account witnessed by them and all we would have had is the mobs version of what happened.  Think about it...Joseph had sent the other apostles on missions to keep them away...he prophesied that Willard Richards wouldn't have a hole in his garment, but he would witness bullets flying  and friends falling on his left and right..for a 300 pound man it was truly a miracle he didn't get hit in that small room with bullets flying everywhere...and John Taylor surviving at least 5 wounds and covered with a filthy mattress to hide him from the mobs...I know Joseph and Hyrum sealed their testimony with the sacrifice of their lives that sultry afternoon in June, 1844.  I love them.